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ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » Crop Production and Pest Control Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #298665
Title: H33: A wheat gene providing Hessian fly resistance for the southeastern United States

Author
item MCDONALD, MELISSA - Purdue University
item OHM, HERBERT - Purdue University
item RINEHART, KRISTEN - Dupont Pioneer Hi-Bred
item GIOVANINI, MARCELO - Monsanto Corporation
item Williams, Christie

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/19/2014
Publication Date: 7/28/2014
Citation: McDonald, M.J., Ohm, H.W., Rinehart, K.D., Giovanini, M.P., Williams, C.E. 2014. H33: A wheat gene providing Hessian fly resistance for the southeastern United States. Crop Science. 54(5):2045-2053.

Interpretive Summary: Resistance of wheat against the Hessian fly is becoming problematic in the southeastern United States. Breeders have very few options when selecting effective resistance genes for future cultivar development. We identified and transferred a Hessian fly-resistance gene from durum wheat into bread wheat. This gene, H33, is very effective against fly populations in Maryland, Delaware, South Carolina, and Georgia. The H33 resistance gene was mapped in the wheat genome and two flanking DNA markers were identified for use in breeding new resistant wheat lines. This gene and its flanking markers will provide a new tool for plant breeders to use in protecting the wheat crop in the southeastern US.

Technical Abstract: Although more than 33 genes have been identified that confer resistance against Hessian fly attack in wheat, only five genes are currently effective against fly populations in the southeastern US. Because Hessian fly populations adapt to overcome newly deployed resistance genes within a few years of release, a search for additional effective genes ensued. We identified a durum wheat line that confers resistance to Hessian fly populations from Maryland, Delaware, South Carolina, and Georgia in 100% of the plants tested. Resistance from this tetraploid durum line, PI134942, was introgressed into hexaploid bread wheat to generate the line 97211. Although the resistance of the durum donor appeared to involve more than one gene, one partially dominant but very effective gene, H33, was identified in the hexaploid recipient. This gene was mapped to the short arm of wheat chromosome 3A and is flanked by SSR markers xgwm218 and hbg284.